Andrews Management Unit/Steens Mountain Cooperative Management and Protection Area Proposed Resource Management Plan and Final Environmental Impact Statement

摘要

The Steens Mountain Cooperative Management and Protection Act of 2000 created the Steens Mountain Cooperative Management and Protection Area (CMPA). A management plan is in preparation for the CMPA and the surrounding Andrews Management Unit (AMU), collectively called the Planning Area. The Proposed Resource Management Plan (RMP)/Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) for the AMU/CMPA has identified five alternatives for managing approximately 1,649,470 acres of public lands, 1,221,314 acres of which are in the AMU and 428,156 acres in the CMPA, located primarily in Harney County, southeastern Oregon (Planning Area). Information provided by BLM personnel, other agencies and organizations, and the public have helped to develop the five alternatives described and analyzed in this Proposed RMP/FEIS. Alternative A is the continuation of present management. Alternative B minimizes human intervention in the ecosystem and minimizes commodity production. Alternative C emphasizes resource values and the functioning of natural systems. The Proposed RMP (formerlyAlternative D), provides a balance with a high level of natural resource protection and improvement in ecological conditions while allowing commodity production. Alternative E emphasizes commodity production or extraction. Major RMP issues include the following: (1) management of the Steens Mountain Wilderness Area; (2) management of special designated areas; (3) management of riparian and wetland areas; (4) management of upland habitats; management of recreation in the Planning Area; (5) management of transportation in the CMPA; (6) and support for local tribes and communities. The Proposed RMP/FEIS incorporates the scientific findings and assessments from the Interior Columbia Basin Ecosystem Management Project that are applicable to the Planning Area.